Ralph Clark's Civil War History Page

I've been studying the American Civil War, and my family's participation in it, since 1989. My father's relatives were Unionists, from Maine and Massachusetts. My mother's relatives fought on both sides from Tennessee, for the Union from Indiana and Kentucky, and for the Confederacy from North Carolina. I hope some of what I've learned, and made accessible here, will be of use to you.

Some of what you'll find here may have been gleaned from published sources. I think it's fair use to provide small amounts of published material for personal research. And after all, not everyone can afford to buy some of these sets for hundreds of dollars. In respect of the copyright holders, however, you must solemnly promise to nag your local library to buy these books. After all, how will they know what their patrons want if you don't tell them.

Report of the Adjutant General of Indiana
North Carolina Troops
Tennesseans in the Civil War

Once you know your soldier's name and unit, you can get his service record, or the record of applications for pension, by mail from the National Archives in Washington, DC, for $10 each. You'll need to submit your request on Form NATF-80. You can request 1 to 6 copies of the necessary form by sending email with your postal address (so they can send you the paper) to inquire@arch2.nara.gov - they'll reply by email that they're sending the forms.

Reading About Grandpa

"The Civil War Day by Day - An Almanac 1861 - 1865"
"The Civil War Years - A Day-by-Day Chronicle of the Life of a Nation,"

Who, what, where, or when was that?

"The Civil War Dictionary"

Tell me about that battle.

"Battles and Leaders of the Civil War"

Tell me everything!

"War of the Rebellion - Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies," aka "The O. R."

What was it like, grandpa?

"The Life of Johnny Reb - The Common Soldier of the Confederacy"
"The Life of Billy Yank - The Common Soldier of the Union"

My Information About Some Civil War Regiments

I'm an amateur genealogist and historian. I don't have custody of any unit rosters. I can't go dig in my back yard and send you a relic of your ancestor. What I've done is study the units in which my relatives served, and as time permits, I'll put some of that information on these pages. Meanwhile, I'll be happy to try to answer any fairly specific questions about any of the units, but, you know, if I've already got something written all about the unit's history, then it's already up here.

I've listed the units I'm studying, and my relatives who served in them. If there's a link for the unit name, you'll find some information there. If there's a link for the soldier's name, you'll find mention of his service, and genealogical information which might be helpful to you in regard to his residence before or after the war. If there are dates given, I probably haven't studied the unit before or after the time my relative served. If there's no link, please send me everything you know.

There are many published regimental histories and soldier's diaries. Some of them are included in the LDS locality catalog under (State) - Military History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Regimental Histories.